Roman Fortin, Fast Twitch Instructor: Set two and go!
Narrator: Former NFL pro Roman Fortin is helping his clients strengthen their "Fast Twitch" muscles—the muscle fibers we use when doing short, intense—more exertive activity.
Problem is these types of muscles tire quickly and that's where a class like this can come in handy: Experts say this type of conditioning improves strength, muscle tone and stamina:
Michael Maley, Fast Twitch Student: I've been doing this class for several weeks now, and that's really help me build my endurance. That's one of the reasons I'm in here.
Narrator: The body has two types of muscle fibers: fast and slow twitch. Slow twitch muscle fibers are mainly fueled by oxygen and are used for more prolonged activity—such as a marathon run.
Fast twitch muscle fibers, on the other hand, do not use oxygen to produce energy for muscle contraction
Conditioning the fast twitch muscles over a period of time makes them take on certain characteristics of slow twitch muscles
where they are able to endure for longer periods and require less recovery time. It's essentially a training method that Roman has used his entire athletic career.
Roman Fortin, Fast Twitch Instructor: You know in football, we huddle back up we go, and then we're in a basically five second fight and then we go huddle back up. And then we're in a five second fight and then we huddle back up.
Narrator: Exercises designed to work the fast twitch muscle fibers also help the metabolism burn food energy more efficiently as muscle activity burns more fat.
Bill Adams, Fast Twitch Student: This class is great for your core, so it makes everything else easier.
Narrator: And getting rid of the flab around the middle is key, say experts, if you want to lessen your chances of high-risk health problems.
It may not look any tougher than a normal exercise class, but Roman requires his students have a certain base-line aerobic capacity before even joining up:
Ashley Riggs, Fast Twitch Student: I've done everything from cheerleading to running track, and actually competitive race running. And so this class is still difficult for me.
Joy Davis, Fast Twitch Student: Yes, it's very painful, I feel it everywhere, even in places I'm not supposed to feel it, I feel it.
Roman Fortin, Fast Twitch Instructor: And Go!
Narrator: As researchers isolate the properties that make up these two muscle types, they hope to one day be able to offer treatments that can enhance muscle endurance for those who lack adequate stamina.
But for now, if you want to "tone up". You have to 'get down'. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.